DWR Semi-Annual Groundwater Key Trends for Water Year 2024
California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released its latest Semi‑Annual Groundwater Conditions Update, revealing that groundwater storage across 98 basins increased by 2.2 million acre-feet during Water Year 2024, marking the third consecutive year of gains, primarily due to managed recharge and average precipitation. However, the early months of Water Year 2025 brought dryness to much of Central and Southern California, underscoring the state’s climate variability and the need for adaptable water management strategies. The expanded dataset, comprising groundwater levels, storage, recharge, subsidence, well infrastructure and more, allows state and local agencies to comply with Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) goals, better target recharge projects, monitor land subsidence and mitigate dry‑well impacts.
